Archive

After hearing the Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me kicker “~” I was rather hooked on Touche Amore. So hearing about this little live 7″ which includes the briskly titled track “~” you can say I was a little bit excited. I dashed down to Kill The Music in Brisbane to pick it up, and after giving it a 45bpm spin my suspicions were confirmed. It is kickass. The energy this band gives during a live show is incredible, and you can feel it encapsulated on this bit of wax. If you’re a fan of either La Dispute of Title Fight then you will already know about this band. But if for some reason you don’t – CHECK. IT. OUT.

The actual vinyl

Pretty standard plastic sleeve followed by an oddly put together outer cardboard shell for the vinyl. The edges are folded in and when they’re unfolded they give you a cool poster thing. Hard to explain so as usual – check out the pictures. The vinyl I have is the white variant which is apparently one of 2300. I ripped the pressing info off discogs.com which I will casually list below.

Why yes – Charlie Simpson WAS in that british boyband. However after the first few bars of Palahniuk’s Laughter, the first track from Fightstar’s first release you’ll realize his boy band days are long, long gone. The track is full of heavy riffs mashed together with big chorus’ which standard in the post-hardcore genre. If you’re lucky enough to have They Liked You Better When You Were Dead on cd, or if you’ve downloaded it then you’ll know just what an incredible start this band had. They have an amazing mix of tracks which is really audible in even just the two tracks gracing this 7″ release. Mono, the second track starts off with a really light guitar riff and somewhat dreamy backing vocals. But what really makes this easily one of my favorite 7″ vinyl is the huge eruption of sound closer to the end of the track and it’s preceding build up. This took me a while to get a hold of, but I was crazily lucky enough to get it for under $5 which is a complete steal – as it usually goes for $40+ because of its rarity.

The Actual Vinyl

This release is a pretty standard 7″ sleeve with the vinyl sitting inside the cardboard packaging. The artwork is quite cool and has 2 drawings, one is obviously a draw from fight club – the movie a la’ the book from Chuck Palahniuk from which the first title comes from. The same 2 drawings grace the center label on the black vinyl as well.

Tracklist

A -Palahniuk’s Laughter

B -Mono

$-$$$

The price of this vinyl is really dependent on how long you’re willing to wait. As of right now – there are no listings for it on ebay. However on discogs.com it goes for over $40. I waited about 3 months and managed to get it on ebay for about $5 which was incredible for the quality of this release. So if you’d like to get it I’d wait until you can find it for under $25 – however you should be able to find it for $30 if you look hard enough.

I can’t express how amazing this vinyl looks. It is amazing. The red flag art is probably my favorite of Billy Talent’s art works thus far. Billy Talent are renowned for ridiculous live gigs and even crazier mosh pits. Red Flag – ever since being released onto Billy Talent II has been a crowd favorite. This vinyl has the ‘album version’ of Red Flag, followed by a live version recorded at the Horseshoe Tavern.

Red Flag on vinyl is actually in 2 parts. This being the second part. And the first part being a Red coloured 7″ with gatefold to hold both parts. Unfortunately I’m yet to get a hold of part 1 as for some reason it’s harder to find than part 2, but as soon as I do I’ll put up a new post. Part 2 has the album version again with side B having Where is the line? (demo). However for the record (heh), either one of the “parts” can stand on their own plenty well. I just really want that gatefold to house it. Plus I want to be complete.

The actual vinyl

Sorry – I know I’ve already really said this.

It’s a 7 inch picture disc. The front has the image to the right, and the back has the track listing and art of what seems to be wreckage. The vinyl looks AMAZING. I am yet to play it though so I can’t say much about the sound yet. The pic vinyl is housed in just a clear plastic sleeve.

Tracklist

A – Red Flag (Album Version) – 3:11

B – Red Flag (Live at The Horseshoe Tavern) – 3:42

$ to $$

It depends if you want just this part or if you want both parts.

Ebay – Part 2 is anywhere from $12 to $40. Part 1 is about $25 – 50

Discogs.com is really about the same if you include postage but you might be able to find a better bargain there.

After departing from their record contract, Fightstar recorded an album their selves, with many of the tracks using strings and other instruments, the result was Be Human. It was a slight departure from post-hardcore and drifted into the realms of more straight up rock, all the while remaining quite true to their roots.

Anyway – less about the album and more on ZE VINYL! The English way way was from recollection the first single from the album and was initially released on itunes with an acoustic version, a cover of “hide and seek” (definitely worth checking out if your a Charlie fan), and the video clip. The blue vinyl on the other hand has the B-Side “Down”, which is exclusive to this 7″. Down, very unlike the English way is almost fully on acoustic guitar with a few effects here and there. Also it’s fully only sang by Alex Westaway, which is fightstar’s melodic singer which makes this song that much more interesting. If you look past it’s quiet nature you’ll be able to find a really great track. And it’s a brilliant contrast to the heavy verses and melodic chorus’ in the english way that fightstar are so known for.

The actual vinyl

The English Way 7 Inch spiffy blue vinyl comes housed in a plain see-through plastic slipcase. It also comes with a cover/artwork glossy paper sheet which looks close enough to a cover anyway. It does mean that I have to put that slight bit more care while putting the vinyl back however to not damage the paper at all. Although it’s a bit harder to put back, in the long run it’ll keep the dust out a lot more than the simple cardboard slipcases.

Tracklist

A – The English Way

B – Drown

$ 1/2

I put a half because it’s not crazily cheap, and for only 2 tracks and such I think the one and a half is warranted. It’s still a reasonably cheap vinyl, just depends on how hard you look.

Ebay – $10 – 25

At the time of writing there were no copies on my frequented online vinyl stores.

“Fat Wreck put us on the map, and “Join The Ranks” was the very first song we ever officially released on a proper label. “Gethsemane” was recorded in an old oil factory in Chicago, the same factory where we would go on to film our first video. Along with “Generation Lost”, this seven inch is long overdue and we’re happy to team up with our old friends at Fat to do it.”

4 taps and we’re being blasted with a new 7″ from message punk rockers rise against. Join the ranks is a classic punk short fast loud track. Second track ‘Gethsemane’ follows much in the same vein but clocks in at just over 2 and a half minutes. Generation Lost the B side track shares it’s name with the bands new DVD. The sound is interesting, it sounds like it was written by them recently but has a really similar feel to the first two tracks. ‘Generation Lost’ clocks in at almost 4 minutes, so you can mosh and thrash a bit longer around your lounge room before having to flip or change records.

The Actual Vinyl

This 7 inch is a pretty straight up release. The black vinyl is housed in a slipcase which has artwork on the front and lyrics and credits on the back. The artwork looks pretty awesome and the more attention paid to it the more I really like it. That’s really all I can say on the vinyl. However I’m aware there is a red vinyl version as well as a picture disc version which has the artwork rather than the standard black.

Tracklist

A – Join the Ranks – 1:27

Gethsemane – 2:29

B – Generation Lost – 3:48

$

It really depends on what variant you want. The prices are all together however the red and picture disc are about 10 or 20+ more than standard from what I can see.

After releasing their third album “american slang”, the Gaslight Anthem released a cover of the Rolling Stones song Tumbling dice. They did this by releasing a 7″ collection of variants. All up there are 4 different colour vinyls to collect. The colour vinyl has a matching coloured shipping parcel, vinyl holder thingy majiggy (scientific name). There is white, green, brown and black. All the colours look great. However as of right now I only have the black variant. The black looks freaking great though. It’s got some sort of shine to it. Probably my favorite looking black vinyl I have.

The cover of tumbling dice is great. Originally I wasn’t the biggest fan of it since I just loved the b-side “she loves you” so much that tumbling dice just didn’t compare. However gaslight anthem always manage to create brilliant covers and this is no exception.

The actual vinyl

So I’ve already given a quick rundown of the vinyls, however I’ll elaborate a bit more. So like I said before it comes in a coloured (except black vinyl which is in black case), shipping parcel, vinyl holder thingy majiggy. Just look at the pictures if you’re confused. And you WILL BE confused damn it! When you open it up the vinyl is in a little white sleeve. If you pull that out you’ll also see a large black lyric sheet which is really cool. The lyrics are for she loves you and I assume the lyrics for tumbling dice is copy right or something so they’re not there. Instead on the opposite side it has Brian Fallon talking about why he loves rolling stones so much and how punxxx they are. Then, unless it’s flown out when you ripped open the parcel in excitement, there should be a little white card which has the extended artwork on it. if you flip the card over you’ll find the download link. All up the actual presentation of the vinyl is amazing. And easily the best of any 7″ I have so far. It looks great, plays great and it’s the gaslight anthem for goodness sakes!

Tracklist

A – Tumbling dice (Rolling stones Cover)

B – She loves you (american slang b-side)

$

JBHIFIONLINE.com (people in australia) it’s $13 including shipping. I actually picked it up from here but you don’t know what colour you’ll get.

EBAY – This method is a lot easier in getting the colour you want. Or all if you so desire. It ranges from $12+ and around $60-80 if you want all 4 variants.

pps. There IS actually a white sleeve for the vinyl too which isn’t pictured.

Around the year 2000, JEW were dropped by capitol records after their album Clarity. Clarity for me was just about their best album however didn’t do so well at the time. So in the time it took for them to be picked up again (this time by dreamworks), they took the time out to record a split with Australian band Jebediah.

In personal opinion JEW owns the record. Their contribution is just amazing and three of their best songs in my opinion. I’m yet to listen to a heap of Jebediah. However, the three songs on here I think are just about their best. Harpoon would be my favorite track by far and one of my favorite tracks by an Australian indie band.

The most beautiful things and No sensitivity are only on this release and the Bleed American (Deluxe Edition). The Cautioners is also on their next release which was Bleed American. However this version of the song is an earlier demo which has a lot more added to it soundscape wise. I actually quite prefer this version as it feels like there’s a lot more atmosphere and it’s a lot less clean sounding than the B.A. version.

The actual vinyl

This comes in a gold gatefold slipcase. All up there are 3 x 7″ clear vinyls (There is also a slightly rarer Red variant). Two vinyls slide in each side whereas the third disc sits loosely in the middle (in a sleeve). The front also has an ampersand (&) on the front which may or may not be visible in the photos. There is a red artsy silhouette of a man on the left center side and the back. The back and the center vinyl has the track listing.

The first and third vinyls only have the respective band name on one side and BWR (big wheel records) and another ampersand.

There is also a small lyric sheet included.

Tracklist

Jimmy eat world

1 A – The Most Beautiful Things

1 B – No Sensitivity

2 A – Cautioners

Jebediah

2 B – Animal

3 A – The Less Trusted Pain Remover

3 B – Harpoon

$ to $$

For a set of 7″ vinyl this set isn’t too expensive if you manage to find it for sale online. I personally picked 2 sets up on ebay for about $15 each.

Ebay – Although there’s none on there now it’s usually anywhere from $7 to $25. I wouldn’t pay more than $30 inc postage.

Discogs.com – $15 upwards not inc postage. There is a red variant for $20.